Finally – the secret’s out! Our Ellie has been working incredibly hard behind the scenes for months and now we are very, VERY excited to share our beautiful new look for Ellie Sanderson. We’ve refreshed the branding to reflect how we’ve evolved, who we are now and how we feel about the future, and quite honestly, we think it’s beautiful. Things have never looked brighter for Ellie Sanderson!

Here, we chat with Ellie and Jonathan Harris (www.harrisment.co.uk), the Creative Director of Harrisment Design & Branding, who helped bring Ellie’s vision to life.

WHAT PROMPTED THE DECISION FOR A NEW LOOK?

Ellie Sanderson: A number of things came into play with the re-brand. Firstly, I am hugely critical of everything we do and always have been, so during the third lockdown I had a moment when I was staring at my logo and I felt it no longer represented what we stand for as a business. I felt it didn’t have a big enough personality – somehow the block capitals felt anonymous and impersonal. It’s hard to put it into words, but I instinctively knew It was time for change and time to move forward.

WHY IS NOW THE TIME FOR CHANGE?

Jonathan Harris: Successful brands are constantly evolving, they never stand still. They are always relevant and connected to their customers, as well as the world around them. Sometimes change is responsive, in Ellie’s case it’s often to lead.

Over the last few years there have been a raft of changes to the world we live in, some due to the pandemic and Brexit, others longer in the making. This is a great moment to recognise and signal how well the Ellie Sanderson brand has responded to these challenges.

WHAT’S THE IDEA BEHIND THE RE-BRAND?

ES: I wanted to mark the start of the next chapter after Covid. 2020 was a tumultuous time for us all in this industry and things will never be the same again. They will be similar, but different, and I felt we needed to be too. Similar but different, Similar but better, Similar but fresher.

I worked for months with Harrisment Design & Branding and the designer Jonathan really got under the skin of my business. He took time to listen to what was driving my desire for change, he spent time assessing my feelings about font, look, colours and more. The brand tool kit we now have is personal and far reaching and so many ideas have been created from it!

JH: It’s all inspired by energy, positivity, inclusion and engagement – as well as remaining classy and fabulous!

We want to celebrate the work done by staff and supporters of Ellie Sanderson, maintaining their poise, hope and creativity, both recently and throughout the lifetime of the brand. Never letting their heads go down, always being flexible and with a can-do attitude. Always human, empathetic and with a sense of humour. Forward looking, while staying classy. Open to new ideas and respectful of the old traditions.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE ELLIE SANDERSON’S NEW LOOK AND NEW DIRECTION?

ES: I feel it’s personal – it has my signature on it after all! I think the new look epitomises our personal approach to client care and supplier relations. I feel it shows my name is above the door and I am behind the door. It’s got a face and it’s trustworthy, open and honest. Just like us!

The timing of the rebrand was not a happy accident – it’s not just because we are coming out the other side of the pandemic, but also because we have properly launched our Woodstock business. The original launch was under the Covid cloud, and my poor Woodstock studio was shut down after three months because of this. So, now it’s time to shout about it!

We have a vastly different collection in the Woodstock studio to our Beaconsfield studio. Woodstock is more relaxed and the labels in there are not big national brands, but significant brands to watch, like Eva Lendel, Anna Kara and Rish. They are blended with our usual favourites, including Suzanne Neville and Jesus Peiro, and work perfectly.

JH: The Ellie Sanderson new look has energy and movement; it’s informal and fluid, without losing its elegance.

The style reflects Ellie’s willingness to have her vision and values front and centre. It has a certain couture confidence, reflecting Ellie Sanderson’s stature within the bridal sphere. There’s also a playfulness, reminding us that the buying a wedding dress is a time of celebration and joy, along with a hint of indulgence.

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE LOOK LIKE FOR ELLIE SANDERSON?

JH: Ellie Sanderson looks at the bride’s journey beyond their first appointment. The brand is so much more than simply shifting dresses. It’s about creating memories for the bride and her party, supporting with honest advice when requested, offering options, alternatives, taking the time to get to know her, her goals and ambitions for her big day.

The goal is to build personal connections with the bride, to make the dress process unforgettable and emotionally fulfilling. To make her into the bride she dreams of, giving her confidence and presence. The dress is often the catalyst for the rest of the wedding theme and style. Ellie Sanderson gives a bespoke service, supporting the aspirations of the day.

Choosing a top bridal boutique is more than a ‘skip and click to PayPal’, it’s one of the longest and most personal relationships you’ll have throughout your wedding preparations. Ellie Sanderson’s goal is to ensure it remains fabulous throughout and beyond.

ES: A huge number of lessons have been learned in the last few years and more will be learned in the years to come.

We will continue to work with suppliers who supported us through the last 20 months, those that genuinely listen to our feedback and those that want solid brand partnerships. I don’t want to work with labels that saturate the market place until there is a glut of their product and that product becomes devalued and over available.

The bridal industry is on the cusp of being beyond saturated with mass-produced product and these dresses are clogging up rails everywhere. The amount of dresses that must end up in land fill sites annually frightens me, and we MUST be more accountable for that.

We will remain solid lovers of British design and will continue to blend this with great new world class labels.